About Me

I am an applied microbial ecologist working as a Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne in Conservation Microbial Ecology. My research interests are in the functional roles of bacteria in symbiosis with their hosts and harnessing these functions in microbiome engineering approaches. Microbiome engineering has been proposed as a strategy to facilitate adaptation to changing environmental conditions by enhancing the host(s) with the metabolic capabilities of the introduced bacteria. While I have spent most of my career working in coral reef ecosystems, I'm currently applying microbiome engineering to improve conservation outcomes for threatened native Australian mammals. I have also worked with soil, crickets, and monotremes under the umbrella of environmental microbiology.

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I am an advocate for equity in science for women, members of the LGBTIQA+ community, people of color, Indigenous community members, minorities, people with disabilities, and anyone else who has ever felt that they do not belong. I am the immediate past Chair of the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) Early Career Scientist Committee and currently sit on the organising committee for ISME20 to be held in August 2026 in Auckland, NZ.  

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Outside of science, I am a volunteer for Seeing Eye Dogs, Vision Australia and care for two gorgeous girls, Kelly and Ocean. I am also an avid CrossFitter and specialize in lifting heavy weights fast. I hope to be a role model for young women to see that strength is never a weakness and that gender can never define what you are capable of.